How to Be Full From Within After Weight Loss Surgery

How to Be Full From Within After Weight Loss Surgery

How to Be Full From Within After Weight Loss Surgery

What does it mean to be “full from within?” This concept refers to the idea that we no longer have this psychological “black hole,” that needs to be fed through external things such as; food, drugs, alcohol, spending, relationships, gambling. ~ Dr. Colleen, The Psychology of Finally Being Full From Within book

To be truly full from within means that our “tank” is mentally full. In other words, our self, although beaten up, bruised, and broken sometimes as a result of our journey down each of our unique life’s path – is repaired and felt as whole again. Like a patchwork quilt that only gets stronger as a result of its many tears and reparations.

How does one achieve this, you ask?

Borrowing from Aaron Beck’s cognitive triangle we have three components of the mind that work to repair the self: THOUGHTS, FEELINGS, BEHAVIORS.

These are the different components that must be running on all four cylinders to ensure that we aren’t at risk of developing or perpetuating an unhealthy relationship with any of the topics mentioned above, for the purposes of this article, specifically – food.

Thoughts to Repair The Self

Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy is a 25 cent term to describe the process of looking at the old tapes we run in our minds day in and day out for years upon years, and stopping them in their tracks, and replacing them with new ones.

A hallmark approach in Byron Katie’s book “Loving What Is,” is to continuously challenge one’s thoughts by asking “is that really true?” If we deem that we can’t say with absolute certainty that a thought is true, then we can replace it with a more constructive thought.

For instance, if we find ourselves with a running narrative that goes something like “you are just never going to be someone that stands out, it’s ok you have other good traits,” then what is the behavior and feelings that it produces? Perhaps the person goes on feeling invisible like many people who are overweight feel. Maybe the person gives up on trying to stand out in the way they look and participate in life.